Today, May 2nd, going to morning shift I heard an interest fact. It stated that the loneliest people are no longer the elderly but between the ages of 18 to 22. The radio hosts stated "could it be social media." At that point I was almost at the light but the thought lingers in my head.

I work in service (support) industry and that is my source of income. That is not to say no one else works with people. People are disconnected but connection is present if we look for it. Yes, social media is connection but it's not physical. Yes, retail is connection but your job decides how much connection you have. Health, Education, Ministry, and volunteerism is more people-based. It is the same in our personal life.

Recently, the importance of connection was reinforced. The recent death of our church member, Sherry, was all about connections. She spoke up and stood up for the greater community when many people are too busy being self-absorbed. She put fire under people's feet and pushed by being presence. Thank you is too little to say. Pass it on...Pass it on and continue!

Every year, I attend 2 free fleas at a church in Severna Park. This year, my friend named Mary stated her prayed for me to get a full-time job and I have. We connect only twice a year but we are happy to see each other. This year was different as I had a friend call in need and her family is going through another member passing. I let my friend know I trusted Mary and they prayed together. They connected. Mary commented, "People don't talk face-to-face anymore." I have to agree and I miss a good conversation. We are now connected by more than just the free fleas and prayer

I use social media a lot and in a way this is social media. I use it for people I rarely see as we have busy lives and live in other areas. I do feel the disconnect but I know with some I can physically connect through phone or direct contact. It is still very difficult. I see the struggle to find connection when more of your interactions are not physical. I understand what it takes to reach out.and I have to improve in my personal life.

How to solve disconnect? It won't get better unless we put the phone or other devices down. We need to stop and listen to each other from body language to spoken. We need to trust each other and not fear what we don't understand about each other. We need to be able to disagree and still embrace each other. Disconnect is not easy to solve and I will not make it easy to solve. I will say just being presence in the space, really in the space, is connection. This is why I enjoy my work...I can share and embrace of beauty of connection.